Self-hosted Zapier alternative — build workflows straight from Claude Code.

What it is

n8n is a self-hosted open-source automation tool (Zapier alternative without monthly workflow limits). Paired with the n8n MCP, Claude Code can build, trigger, and debug workflows directly — no n8n UI required.

Install / Setup

Option 1 — Terminal (n8n via Docker + MCP):

# 1. Start n8n
docker run -d --name n8n -p 5678:5678 -v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n n8nio/n8n

# 2. Install n8n-MCP (czlonkowski) — follow the README of the repo
# github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp

Plus the optional skill pack:

# Inside Claude Code:
/plugin marketplace add czlonkowski/n8n-skills
/plugin install n8n-mcp-skills

Option 2 — Prompt Claude Code:

Set up n8n + Claude Code for me:
1. Start n8n via Docker (port 5678, n8n_data volume).
2. Wire up n8n-mcp from https://github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp per its README inside my Claude Code.
3. Install the n8n-skills via /plugin marketplace add czlonkowski/n8n-skills + /plugin install.
Ask me for credentials/API keys when needed and verify with /mcp that everything's running at the end.

Use cases

• 24h DM sequence — Workflow that works followers across multiple touchpoints on autopilot.
• Email → Slack — Route important mail by label into the right channel.
• Lead → CRM → follow-up — New form submission lands in the CRM, follow-up gets scheduled.
• Daily reports — n8n pulls the data, Claude analyzes via the Claude API node, result goes out over Telegram.
• GitHub issue → Notion task — Every new issue in a repo becomes a task in Notion.

Pro tip

Let Claude generate the workflow as JSON and import it into n8n manually before you hit execute. Workflows that get written and fired off directly can cost real money (emails, paid APIs) — review once before going live.

🚀 Inside the community we build complete automation systems and workflows that actually run your day. → Join the Claude Code Mastery Community

Updated regularly — follow @vine.codes for more.